The BCS System Is Just Not Working

Total Pro Sports – We have completed yet another year in what was a fantastic season in College Football. However, like in many years past we have to deal with the controversy of the BCS. The system deciding what teams that will play in the National Championship Game.

This year it was Texas’ turn to feel the effect of substandard system that credits teams based on ‘style points’ rather than hard-nosed victories. The BCS uses three components, The USA Today Coaches Poll, The Harris InteractiveCollege Football Poll, and an average of six computer rankings. It is these computer rankings that are the most controversial as they have no human influence.

In every sport we expect to see a champion, a team or individual that rises above the rest, and undisputedly claims the top prize. In College Football we sometimes lack this experience, and there is doubt to the legitimacy of the National Champion.

In the most recent case of this flaw, we witnessed in 2003, two champions, the LSU Tigers and Southern California Trojans. The LSU Tigers beat the No. 1 team in the country in the Sugar Bowl, only to share the National Title with a team that played an inferior Bowl Game, against a lesser opponent.

Was this true justice?

It is time that the system be revised, the fans are tired of seeing computer generated rankings make decisions that don’t seem sensible to the human eye. In an interview with president-elect Barack Obama just before the election, he was asked what should be done to change the settings that are already in place?

his answer “introduce a playoff”.

We have seen the type of success that the College Basketball Tournament or “March Madness” has shown over the years. Maybe it is time that College Football seriously consider making the change!

Here at Total Pro Sports we have been deliberating as to the best fit solution, that will allow the teams to have enough time between games and conclude the season on schedule. Our solution, is a 32 team elimination tournament, it will be arranged into 4 brackets consisting of 8 teams. These teams will be hand picked by a committee, with a representative from each conference. The eventual winner would have to win 5 consecutive games, these games would be played in succession with a week off before the Championship Game. This will allow the teams to remain focused rather then the current BCS schedule giving teams a month off before a crucial game and asking them to perform at a high level.

The argument that there should be more teams in the elimination tournament is justifiable, however, our counter argument is, there are not 64 solid College Football teams. As we sat back each week and filled out our College Football Power Rankings, we at times struggled with the bottom 5 of our rankings.

The 32 team system is perfect as it will allow a number of programs on the bubble to fight for the remaining 4-6 positions. As for the the teams that do not qualify for this tournament, there could be a tournament of 32, similar to the NIT for College Basketball, that will see a winner emerge.

We are confident that an elimination tournament will never be in place for College Football, they (committee) keep making minor revisions to the system in place and we will end up in the same position every December. It all boils down to money and with an elimination tournament, potential revenue will be lost.

So we pose the question to the average fan base, what would you like to see done to improve the system?